Law Commission considers Alternative Trial Processes
Thu 16 Feb 2012
The Law Commission is seeking New Zealanders’ views on how criminal trials are conducted and whether there may be better ways to serve the ...
The Law Commission is seeking New Zealanders’ views on how criminal trials are conducted and whether there may be better ways to serve the interests of justice – particularly in cases involving sexual offending.
The public consultation comes after the Government asked the Law Commission to conduct a high-level review of trial and pre-trial processes with a view to improving the system’s fairness, efficiency and effectiveness.
The project is being undertaken collaboratively with Elisabeth McDonald and Yvette Tinsley from Victoria University of Wellington and Jeremy Finn from the University of Canterbury, who have a Law Foundation grant for research on similar issues.
They published a book with the results of their research in December 2011, From "Real Rape" to Real Justice: Prosecuting Rape in New Zealand.
Instead of a formal issues paper, the Commission is conducting its consultation on possible reforms via an online process.
Consultation is open until Friday 27 April 2012
Read background information on the Alternative Trial Processes project
Go to the online consultation page
For media on the review, click here for links on the Law Commission's website
Click here for Collins cool on sex crime court reform (New Zealand Herald, 8/3/12)